World's Densest Cities

India and China account for 9 of the world's top densest cities according to Forbes magazine. From South Asia, Mumbai is #1, Kolkata is #2, Karachi is #3, Chennai is at #8, Delhi is at #13, Jakarta, Indonesia is #17, and Bangalore is #19.

An excerpt --

"Where are cities most dense? Look no further than Asia, where concentrated economic growth has spawned 16 of the 20 densest urban areas in the world, according to 2007 statistics from citymayors.com. Leading the way are Mumbia and Kolkata, both in India, each of which pack in over 23,000 people per square kilometer. Both cities, along with those close behind like Karachi, Pakistan, Lagos, Nigeria and Shenzhen, China, hold about as many people within a handful of square blocks as live in U.S. metros like Charleston, S.C., Green Bay, Wis., or Berkeley, Calif."

Read the full story at --

http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/14/cities-pollution-asia-biz-logistics-cx_tvr_1214densecities.html

India is an emerging market to watch

Another columnist who reiterates that India is an emerging market that should be watched.

"India has been the second-biggest spender on infrastructure in Asia over the past year. The country was planning to lay long fixed-line telephone connections to rural communities when wireless and cell phone technologies flew right past them," says Bill Donoghue, on Dow Jones Marketwatch.

Read the full piece at--

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/india-indonesia-two-emerging-markets/story.aspx?guid=%7B98305398-5071-4200-83FC-C1B7F33F896B%7D

Earthquakes Continue to Pound Indonesia

On September 12th a powerful earthquake struck off western Indonesia killing at least four people, destroying several buildings and triggering a small tsunami. Within a couple of weeks another strong earthquake rattles Indonesia. Is there any reprieve for people of this nation who are suffering one natural catastrophe after another?

Wednesday September 26, 2007 6:46 PM

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - A powerful undersea earthquake rattled western Indonesia on Wednesday, officials said, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The 6.4-magnitude quake was centered 80 miles southwest of Padang, a town on Sumatra island still recovering from a series of strong tremors that killed nearly two dozen people earlier this month, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

It struck nearly 21 miles beneath the ocean floor at 10:43 p.m., the USGS said.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific ``Ring of Fire,'' an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

A massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004, killed more than 131,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province and left a half-million homeless.

Indonesia -- Again!!!

Barely had the earthquaks hit Indonesia and caused devastation and now a plane crash. It just does not seem to end for Indonesia...

"A Garuda Boeing 737-400 overshot the runway at Yogyakarta airport and exploded in flames about 7am local time (11am AEDT), burning some of the 133 passengers and seven crew alive in their seats. Garuda tonight said 22 people, including one crew member, had died, while 118 other passengers and crew escaped. The figures were backed by Indonesia's national health crisis centre. A government official had earlier said 49 people perished," reports The Age.